Hello everyone! I'm so glad to be here again! Nearly a year has passed since my last lengthy post. But even so, I can't wait to tell you about my first K-pop concert experience. I never imagined I'd be able to experience it till that day. When I was still in high school and really loved Korean Idols and Groups, I believed it was just a fantasy that would never come true. However, God really does grant dreams in surprising ways, and they do come true.
Since my firm provided the free ticket, it is fair to say that my experience at the event was sponsored. In the present, I'm engaged in a licensing partnership project with Hybe, a Korean entertainment company that oversees the BTS phenomenon. In order to reach a larger audience and encourage viewer purchases, we collaborated on this project with VIU, a video streaming service, and placed our video advertising, static ads, etc. on their platform.
In order to negotiate a potential relationship with VIU, my managers and I met with officials of that organization. As previously noted, we have an ongoing licensing arrangement with Hybe, and their solution is ideal for our marketing campaign, so we contacted them. They specifically traveled to Cebu for this meeting and are excited to collaborate with us. It's a good thing we got a new conference room because we held the meeting in our office. Because I am not accustomed to meeting people from Manila, where I must speak Tagalog or English, I was initially really shy. But they were lovely and considerate. I can't keep my naive and upbeat demeanor from them.
They arrived shortly after 9 AM, and we immediately got to work on the meeting. My jaw dropped when they presented their deck since their work is unquestionably what I want to do for a living. In summary, they organize fan events and concerts featuring Korean Idols or Groups in addition to receiving payment for the placement of advertisements on their site. They have shown examples of their prior work, and my inner Korean fan is giddy with excitement if I have the chance to collaborate with them. But throughout the conversation, I maintained my composure and professionalism. To cut to the chase, Reggie Uy of Viu announced that Manila will be the stop on Treasure's next concert tour. One of the well-known Korean boy bands from the fourth generation of K-pop is Treasure. They are managed by YG, the company behind renowned bands like 2NE1, Big Bang, Black Pink, and others. They are one of, if not the, youngest boy group affiliated with YG. Although I personally don't know each of the members, I am familiar with their well-known song "Darari," which was once popular on TikTok. My boss's daughter was given one of the two VIP tickets that Reggie Uy provided us; however, she was unable to attend the show.
Unexpectedly, the concert’s schedule coincides with my scheduled and booked fieldwork and marketing event in Manila; therefore, the concert is undoubtedly intended for me. Reggie Uy gave me instructions after the meeting to have a member of their team arrange for me to travel to Manila on the day of the event. The free ticket made me very delighted, and I wish I could have brought a friend to the event. They value their business partners greatly because of their generosity. After a very fruitful meeting, they promptly left for the airport because they had no plans to spend the night in Cebu.
The concert day had come. Since I have a long day ahead of me, I was not really excited. I departed from Cebu and Manila early for my flight. I got to Manila at 7 AM, left my belongings at my hotel, and then went to Metro Market Market Taguig for our event. I was with two of my coworkers who are also close friends. Due to my busy schedule, VIU's staff brought my ticket immediately to Metro Market Market Taguig by Grab instead of where I was meant to meet them at the MOA. Even though I was still occupied with our event when I received the ticket, I was already a little excited. Since I had a VIP ticket, I was meant to be at the soundcheck at 4PM, but I can't fit it into my schedule anymore. Otherwise, I might have seen them rehearsing and showing their bare faces. However, the primary event is far more significant.
We had several engagement events in Metro Market Market Taguig, which added to the already hectic day. I was so exhausted and wanted to spend the rest of the day in the hotel that I was seriously second-guessing my decision to go to the concert. But when I told my friends that I had a free ticket to Treasure's HELLO Concert Tour, they were incredibly happy for me to see Treasure perform. Treasure had never performed in the Philippines before; as part of their agenda for their Hello Concert Tour, they had previously visited several Asian nations. Even though I was quite exhausted, I forced myself to go to the concert. I've already indicated that I wasn't a fan of Treasure yet, so perhaps that's one of the reasons I wasn't all that enthused. I had not even done any research on them or their music. All that "Darari" was to me was one of their well-known tunes.
Around 6 PM, we wrapped up our event at Metro Market Taguig. Then, instead of taking a cab, I chose to take an Angkas ride to make it easier and to beat the traffic to the venue. Since the event began at 7 PM, I had planned on arriving about 30 minutes after the scheduled time. When I got to the SM Mall of Asia Arena, the show had already begun, the outdoors was already quiet, and the audience members were inside. However, there were still few fans who remained on the sidelines. The outside fans were startled to learn that I had a VIP ticket, and they overheard some of them say, "sana all," which is Filipino for "I hope everyone has or is the same."
When I was offered the opportunity to go to the concert, I was quite shy because I wasn't even a fan and didn't know any of the band members. However, despite being ardent supporters, some people were not even eligible for general admission tickets. I didn't even have the swag or props that every concertgoer brings with them, such as lightsticks, posters, etc. I was only bringing myself and one bag, hehe. My heart started to beat more quickly as soon as I passed the information desk. The entire Moa Arena seems to be thumping and banging to me. My excitement and sense of reality peaked at that very time. Despite feeling like my legs were extremely weak, I rushed past the elevator and until I reached the Arena's entrance. I was astounded by what I saw for the first 15 seconds after entering. Everything seemed to me to be a dream.
TO BE CONTINUED......
Your favorite foodie, who will take you on delectable adventures and activities. EatsLance will teach you how important it is to take care of ourselves and face our worries. He overcame those obstacles through his passion for food and travel. Cooking may be a taxing pastime for others, but it has been a lifeline for him in terms of his mental health.
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